The Preston Affair
by MistressSara
Summary: When a string of robberies lead to the murder of a honeymooning couple, Phryne and Jack find themselves going undercover... as newlyweds.
1. Chapter 1

The pair of figures crept with practiced steps through the shadows of the dark hotel room. It was easy for them to locate the box of jewels that hadn't been stored in the hotel vault yet. Foolish guests, it should have been the first thing they did. But instead they went in search of tea service. Which turned into cocktails, then supper, dessert, after dinner drinks. That was the thing about honeymooners, they tended to fly off on whims, leaving their rooms quite unattended.

Then again, some couples returned to their room too early, only to find a man and a woman, cloaked in black, raising a vase to break over the wife's head. Meanwhile the husband struggled with the man, eventually staggering back into the wall, a dagger sticking out from his chest. This was how the couple was found; unconscious, bleeding out, and sans a very expensive box of jewelry.

**x-X-x**

"I do love a wedding, Miss." Dot grinned as the bride and groom passed their pew. The daughter of an old family friend had kindly invited Aunt Prudence, who was unable to attend and sent Phryne in her place.

In Phryne's opinion it was a waste of a perfectly good afternoon, but she agreed to attend the service and drop off a present. They would put in a quick appearance at what was to be a dry reception. Not even a glass of champagne to toast the new couple? What was this world coming to?

"Phryne, dear! How marvelous to see you!" Caro greeted at the front of the receiving line.

"Caro, you look beautiful." Phryne smiled, passing the impeccably wrapped present to the bride's mother.

"Such a shame Prudence couldn't come."

"Yes, an ill friend required her company." A practiced excuse, which was executed with the appropriate nod of understanding.

"Of course. I'm so glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't have missed it."

"The party may last longer than we originally intended. We received a call this morning letting us know that the hotel couldn't accommodate our reservations. Apparently a man was murdered in what was to be our room and since we were only staying the night before our ship leaves tomorrow…"

Caro's words went unheard as _a man was murdered_ continued to ring in Phryne's ears.

"A murder? How grisly. What happened?"

"They weren't quite clear. Although it sounded as though the pair were running around with the wrong sort. In the honeymoon suite, can you believe it?"

"Dreadful." Phryne nodded, taking Dot's arm, ready to lead her away. "Congratulations again, shan't keep the line from moving."

"Of course. Thank you for coming."

"Miss, aren't we going to stay?" Dot asked as her employer as they moved for the doors.

"Didn't you hear, Dot? There has been a murder."

**x-X-x**

"How did everything go at The Preston this morning?" Jack asked as he pulled off his jacket and settled into his desk chair. Collins lingered in the doorway, passing on the information of the new case. An early morning meeting kept Jack away from the scene that morning.

"Fine, sir. Well… as fine as a murder…"

"Constable." Jack spoke simply, heading off the on-coming ramble at the pass.

"Right, sir. My notes are one your desk, the body is in the morgue awaiting autopsy, photos of the scene are being developed, and I'm waiting to hear from the hospital when the wife of the deceased wakes up."

"Was there anything from the wife?"

"She was barely conscious…"

"Isn't that just the way of a wife?" Phryne mused, appearing in the door next to Collins.

"Miss Fisher, I assume you've heard about the…"

"Mysterious and deadly goings-on in the honeymoon suite at The Preston. Yes, I heard and imagine my surprise when I arrived to find that the scene had already been catalogued and cleaned."

"And how did you hear about the passing of Mr. Cabot?"

"Word of mouth. I happened to be attending the wedding of the young couple intended for the honeymoon suite this evening. Naturally, when the bride mentioned murder…"

"The cogs in your head began to turn." Jack smiled softly.

"The cogs can't be stopped, Jack."

"Sir?" Collins interrupted.

"Yes, go on, Constable."

"Mrs. Cabot was able to tell us that it was a duo that attacked them. They took her jewelry and took valuables off the bodies after the husband was killed and she was knocked out."

"Have you found any similar cases?"

"Yes, sir. Well, not the murder, but there have been a number of robberies at The Preston, all from the same room. There was a string of similar robberies at a few different hotels, but those were some years prior."

"Thank you, Collins." Jack nodded, giving the man permission to leave the room. As the Constable returned to the counter where Dot was waiting for him, Phryne settled onto the edge of Jack's desk.

"So, Detective Inspector, what is your intended course of action in this case?" She questioned, looking down at the man sitting in front of her.

"Something invasive will have to be done. These people have managed to go unnoticed thus far, they will have to be caught in the act."

"Does that means what I think it means?" She grinned.

**x-X-x**

"Checking in, sir?" Asked the clerk at the desk.

"Yes." Jack smiled, setting down his case. "Mr. and Mrs. King."

"Of course, sir. The honeymoon suite. And this must be the new Mrs. King."

"Yes, Phryne King." With a smile she hooked her arm through Jack's. "Our room please."


	2. Chapter 2

"Darling, what a lovely room!" Phryne gushed, mimicking many giddy brides she observed over the years. One would never know that bodies had been found in the room earlier that morning. There were no signs of a struggle; no traces of blood, if they didn't know ahead of time there would have been no indication.

"Yes, should do nicely." He returned her smile, aware that the bellhop was still situation their luggage, awaiting his tip. "Should we take your necklace down to the vault, dear?"

"Are we not going out this evening?" She grinned, moving closer and slipping her arms around his middle.

"I thought we might keep to our room and indulge in dinner in bed, yes." His tone dropped low, if Phryne didn't know any better she would think that he was serious.

"We'd never get to dinner if we follow that plan. How about the restaurant downstairs?" She suggested, draping her arms across his shoulders. "Then return to our seclusion?"

"A fair compromise…" His hands found her tiny waist, pulling her flush against him.

"Ahem."

"Right. Sorry." Jack turned back to the bellhop and handed him a folded bill.

"Not a problem, sir." The young man nodded.

"I'm sure it happens all the time when you bring couples to the honeymoon suite." Phryne smiled, her arms finding Jack again. "Would not surprise me if the last couple behaved the same way."

"Certainly wasn't how they left…" The bellhop muttered before he realized the words escaped him.

"OH! A bit of a lover's spat?" She grinned at the prospect of gossip; curious to see just how chatty the underpaid employee would chose to be.

"Hardly." The boy scoffed. "They were… oh, suppose I'm not suppose to say."

"That's all right, we won't tell." Phryne promised with a comforting smile.

"No, ma'am. I'm afraid I can't."

"You must forgive my wife, she has a flair for gossip."

"Of course, sir." The bellhop nodded. "Good evening."

"Evening." Jack nodded, following him to close the door. For a moment he hesitated, hand on the handle, before peeking out into the hallway. At the end of the hall he could see the bellhop leaning against the wall trying to chat up one of the young maids. "Hmm, doesn't strike me as a criminal mastermind."

"Bit of a voyeur perhaps." Phryne grinned, shedding her jacket and taking a closer look around. "You'd never know there was a murder in here."

"A testament to their maids, I'm sure."

"So dear husband, what is our plan?" Jack smiled, letting his suit jacket fall from his shoulders. Phryne observed him for a moment before taking her suitcase in hand and opening it on the edge of the bed.

"Dinner in the restaurant, attract the wrong kind of attention."

"Oh?"

"Don't get too excited." He pulled the blue velvet jewelry box from the top of her case. "You'll have to look a bit gaudy."

"I think we can handle that." She grinned, pulling a dress from her case before turning towards the bathroom.

Half an hour later Jack sat waiting in the sitting room, going over the evening paper slowly, trying very hard to keep from thinking about Miss Fisher undressing just the next room over.

"Gaudy enough?" Came a voice from the bedroom. Jack glanced up and almost forgot how to breathe for a moment. There she stood in a stunning white gown. The neck dipped slightly, displaying her collarbone beautifully while the back dipped further, leaving a long panel of Phryne's alabaster skin on display. The gown bore an intricate pattern of sequins, catching the light with each movement she made. Around her neck she wore a diamond the size someone's eye, smaller diamonds lined the rest of the piece.

"Wow." He managed blankly.

"Is that good or bad, Jack?"

"That's… quite a necklace." He finally got out.

"That was the point." She shrugged, checking her clutch. "Ready for dinner?"

"Yes… yes…" he stuttered, still unable to look away from her.

"Jack?" Her voice finally shook him from his gawking.

"Yes. Let's go to dinner." He smiled, holding out an arm to her.

The pair certainly turned a few heads when they were led through the dining room to a table near the back of the room.

"You look beautiful, my dear." Jack offered as they were seated.

"Thank you, darling. Wanted to look presentable for my husband." Phryne smiled coyly.

Dinner passed slowly, with no real suspects catching their attention. So instead they enjoyed their meal and each other's company. They had had plenty of drinks together, the occasional packed lunch in his office, but never have they actually sat down and had a meal together. It was marvelous, feeling almost like a date were it not for a fact that both were on high alert, taking in every person sitting in the dining room and assessing the likelihood of that person being a jewel thief.

"That was rather fruitless." Jack griped, quickly removing his jacket and vest before reaching to undo his tie.

"They just murdered someone, I suspect they might take the night to regroup, avoid detection."

"True." He nodded, pouring them both a nightcap and passing a tumbler to Phryne.

"And we had a lovely meal."

"A silver lining indeed, Miss Fisher."

"Jack, we're married. At the very least call me Mrs. King." She laughed, settling in on the sofa next to him.

"Force of habit. Tell me, Mrs. King, where will we be sleeping this evening?" With that, Phryne slowly turned towards the bedroom, eyeing the lone bed there.

"It is our honeymoon… I suppose we'll have to share."

**x-X-x**

Sorry for such a long delay, I was rather blocked with this one for a bit there, then real life came storming in, demanding my attention. Thank you all for the reviews and hanging in there. Hopefully I won't keep you all waiting too long for the next chapter.


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